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It was in April 1884 that Ludwig Conradt, a Berlin specialist for water drilling, heard about the ‘ventures of Lüderitz’ for the first time. Adolf Lüderitz, a merchant of Bremen, was determined to establish a German colony in the south-western parts of Africa. Conradt was thrilled by the idea and offered his services to Lüderitz. Subsequently he wrote down his experiences which were later published as ‘Recollections of a trader and farmer living 20 years in German South West Africa’.

The Gondwana Collection is green at heart. This has been noticed by the Council for Sustainable Development (Rat für Nachhaltige Entwicklung) in Germany. The organisation recently awarded its Werkstatt N seal of quality to Gondwana. Since 2011 the Council annually honours 100 ideas and projects which bring alive a sustainable way of thought and conduct in everyday life. Initiatives in foreign countries were included for the first time this year. Gondwana received the award for its sustainable tourism products which focus on nature conservation and social commitment.

The massive sandstone pillar in southern Namibia that stood east of the B1 national road near Asab and pointed to the sky like a warning finger until 7 December 1988, was 12 m high, up to 4.5 m wide and weighed some 450 tons. What made the “Finger of God” (also known as Mukorob) so special, however, was its base. Just 3 m long and 1.5 m wide it was narrower than the mass of rock it supported! The mighty finger that had balanced for thousands of years on such a delicate foot was indeed a true wonder of nature. The “Finger of God” inspired various legends.

Reinhard Maack was the first European to conquer Königstein (2573 m), the highest peak in Namibia in the Brandberg massif. He also discovered the famous White Lady, which together with other rock paintings testified to the fact that indigenous people had been there long before him. Maack and his friend A Hofmann set out on an expedition to the Brandberg in February 1917.

One small spark was all that was needed to trigger the eruption. The atmosphere was thick with anger, people crowded around the buildings, hundreds of men and women. Some held stones, others carried iron rods. The police commander’s calls for a peaceful dispersal were answered by boos and whistling. Suddenly a stone banged onto the roof of a police vehicle. The spark. Shots rang out, people screamed and fled in panic, a shower of stones clattered onto the police and vehicles, one of which burst into flame.

Fascination with the wild horses in Namibia’s south-western Namib Desert is compelling. Their origin was shrouded in mystery for decades. Their habitat, the inhospitable plains around Garub, is anything but a paradise. In more recent times they have become a tourist attraction. Every year thousands of visitors watch in awe as the horses arrive with thundering hooves and flying manes to quench their thirst at the trough at Garub. They are all the more touched when in years of drought they see emaciated tired creatures... Why? Does nobody come to the rescue?

The wild horses have lived in the Namib Desert for nearly a century, being tempered by the desert conditions, forming the resilient Namib breed. The horses initially lived in the Sperrgebiet. Garub was an important source of fresh water in the desert and access to its borehole water ensured their survival. Jan Coetzer served as the unofficial custodian of the wild horses from the time he began to patrol the area for Consolidated Diamond Mines (CDM) in 1966/67. He took an active interest in the horses until he left the area in 1981, checking up on the borehole at least once a month.

Shipwrecks along the Skeleton Coast testify to the hazards of navigation without modern instruments. The Woermann Line, which operated scheduled shipping services to the German colonies in Africa until the First World War, lost several ships off the southwestern coast, among them the “Gertrud Woermann”. The ship ran aground near Port Nolloth in 1903. At the time the Woermann Line was the largest private shipping company in the world and immediately bought a replacement vessel, the “Gertrud Woermann II”. She set sail on her first voyage to Africa in June 1904.

“Beware of falling meteorites!” The warning on a sign on the way to the meteorite on the farm Hoba, some 20 km west of Grootfontein, is in jest of course. It has been almost 80,000 years since a meteorite fell from the sky and hit this spot. But there is a grain of truth in the banter. According to estimates the earth is hit by approximately 500 meteorites per year. Most of them are rather small. The Hoba meteorite, on the other hand, is a chunky fragment weighing tons. It is likely to have caused a violent tremor when it crashed into the earth.

The new hotel of the Gondwana group, The Delight Swakopmund received its first guests on 1 November. The very first ones arriving were Mr Freddy Frewer and his wife Carola from Windhoek. They are staying at The Delight for a week and are more than satisfied: "The ambience is fantastic, the breakfast 100 percent and the staff is very attentive," says Freddy Frewer. "We are enjoying our stay to the fullest." "And the colours", his wife adds. "They are so beautiful and bright."